Acts of Kindness
by Eye Greater Than Three
Summary: A collection about Hufflepuffs and their loved ones – including family, friends, and significant others. The Hufflepuff companion fic to Gryffindor's "To Love a Lion," Ravenclaw's "Wit Beyond Measure," and Slytherin's "Pure Ambition."
1. Contents

**Summary**: A collection about Hufflepuffs and their loved ones – including family, friends, and significant others.

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**Acts of Kindness  
**_Table of Contents_

001\. _A Loyal and Kind Child_ | Familial: Zacharias Smith, Harry Potter, James Potter, and Lily Evans Potter

002\. _Family Sticks Together_ | Familial: Justin Finch-Fletchley and Harry Potter


	2. A Loyal and Kind Child

**Fandom**: Harry Potter  
**Main Pairing**: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter  
**Side Pairings**: Eldad Smith/Meissa Richards; one-sided Severus Snape/Lily Evans Potter; and Sirius Black/Athena Carrow (OFC)  
**Warnings**: alternate universe; het; mentions of off-screen character deaths, murder, blood and icky stuff, and torture; and use of original characters  
**Prompt**: (AU) Zacharias Smith as the Boy-Who-Lived

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**Acts of Kindness  
**_002\. A Loyal and Kind Child_

_The power with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who are Loyal and Kind, born as the year dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the year dies..._

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When Sybill Trelawney spoke the words of her first prophecy, it was overheard by two people, Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. Neither man knew _exactly_ what to make of the prophecy other than it predicted the defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Dumbledore quickly hired Sybill before hurrying her into Hogwarts, wanting to keep her safe and the prophecy secret, as he mulled over the prophecy. Snape rushed out of the Hog's Head, the words ringing in his head. He wanted to make _some sense _of it before reporting it to the Dark Lord. The lines identifying the savior left each man stumped: _born to those who are Loyal and Kind, born as the year dies_.

It was surmised that the predicted savior was born in the final days of 1980. Likely between the twenty-four and the thirty-first – the last week of December, but it was probably the thirtieth of the thirty-first.

Armed with a date, Snape took his information to the Dark Lord while Dumbledore looked over birth records. The line _born to those who are Loyal and Kind_ was harder to unravel. Dumbledore focused his extra time and attention on the prophecy, desperate to the war and defeat Tom. But he couldn't neglect his other duties – to Hogwarts, to the Wizengamot, the International Confederation of Wizards, and the Order of the Phoenix. There were too many matters that demanded his attention.

It was Voldemort who figured out the identifying line of the child and his family. The answer came to him as he handed Bellatrix Lestrange the Cup of Hufflepuff. He couldn't help but fondly recall the murder of Hepzibah Smith when he remembered her mentioning her family, passing. They were direct descendants of Helga Hufflepuff through her only daughter, Olga Smith, nee Hufflepuff. After instructing Bellatrix to take care of the Cup, guarding it with the lives of herself, her husband _and_ his brother, he sat off to do some research. While he order his follower to pull records and look things up, bringing him copies of _everything_.

Hepzibah Smith didn't have any children, but she had two brothers: a younger brother named Hazael and an older half-blood brother named Eldad. It took a few days to find complete records on the brothers, but Voldemort was more interested in the younger brother, Hazael. He remembered Hepzibah was fond of her younger brother.

Hazael Smith was talented with magic, ranking in the top of his year and he went on to work for the Department of Magical Transportation upon graduating. He married a pure-blood witch, Laurel Greengrass, and they had two children later in life, a son named Joram and a daughter named Tamar. Both of them were grown, having graduated Hogwarts in the last few years. Joram was married to a pretty French pure-blood witch, and Tamar was engaged to the son of Minister Millicent Bagnold. Neither of them had children. Just to be safe, Voldemort had his spies watching them.

With Hazael being a dead end, Voldemort returned his attention to Eldad Smith. He was older than both Hepzibah and Hazael by ten years, and he was a half-blood, the only child form their father's first marriage. Eldad was a mediocre student with remarkable skills in Herbology, which he used to open a small store on Diagon Alley called The Watering Can. Surprising, The Watering Can was a successful store, noted for the high quality of plants and it was a favor location for Potion Masters and top Potion brewers.

At eighteen, Eldad married Meissa Richards, leading to his disownment by his family. There was confusion around Meissa's identity. Some said she was a muggle-born, and the others said she was the bastard daughter of a muggle-born, and there were _faint_ whispers that she was the bastard daughter of Regulus Black, the brother of Lord Arcturus Black. No matter her blood or parents, she was five years older than Eldad.

The couple only had one child, a son named Asher, early in their marriage. Unlike his father, Asher was an outstanding student, a talented Chaser on the Hufflepuff Team and Head Boy, with notable skilss in Herbology and Charms. After graduating, he married his long-time girlfriend, Primrose Brown, and he took over the family business, allowing his parents to retire to the English countryside.

That retirement was short lived. Primrose died of blood loss during childbirth, bringing their daughter Mary into the world, and Asher was killed a few months later, leaving his infant daughter to his parents. Eldad and Meissa raised Mary and they returned to running The Watering Can.

Mary Smith was a quiet girl with a strong interest in books and animals, and she was Sorted into Gryffindor over Hufflepuff – it was worth noting Joram and Tamar Smith was in Hufflepuff at that time. She was a close friend of Lily Evans, despite being two years younger. Mary had given birth to a son, Zacharias, on the thirty-first of December. After a few days in St. Mungo's, the pair were released and they returned to the family house with Mary's grandparents.

Wanting information on the girl, Voldemort summoned Snape. As Lily Evans' best friend from childhood, Snape knew a lot of Mary. He knew _how much_ she meant to the redhead. Mary was like Lily's little sister. In fact when they were fourteen, Lily had stated that Mary was more her sister than Tuney.

After answering the Dark Lord's questions, Snape found himself uneasy. He couldn't stop thinking about Lily and her tears when she learned of her friend's death. It was guilt, and it slowly ate away at him. It climaxed at the Dark Lord led an attack on Diagon Alley and it destroyed The Watering Can and some surrounding businesses.

Under the high temperatures and the bright sun of July, Snape met with Lily at their childhood park. Her green eyes were narrowed as she sat across the picnic table from him.

"_He's_ going after Mary and her son," he told her, explaining the prophecy. He led, leaving a shocked Lily behind.

From their, Lily sprung into action. She ran home, telling everything to her husband. James was furious that she went to meet with Snape by herself, but he didn't press the issue. There were more important matters at hand.

James and Lily lingered after the Order meeting a few days later, where they told Dumbledore everything. As Dumbledore made plans, Lily and James approached Mary and her grandparents. The news that Zacharias was prophecized to defeat the Dark Lord left them horrified. He was _just_ a day – barely seven months old. He could barely sit up on his own.

With great reluctance, Mary and her grandparents agreed to go into hiding to protect Zacharias. Dumbledore oversaw the arrangements, and Eldad selected James to be their Secret Keeper.

Mary and her son were mentioned in passing at Order meetings, which caught Peter Pettigrew's attention. He recognized the names from the Dark Lord. Late one night in September after a few bottles of firewhiskey, Peter asked his friends about them. James told Sirius, Remus, and Peter about Lily's meeting with Snape and Mary and her family being in hiding.

Eagerly, Peter shared the news with the Dark Lord. In a fit of rage, Voldemort killed Snape with the Killing Curse before ordering his other followers to dispose of the body. No one would really miss Severus Snape. He didn't have any close friends or family.

For the next step, Peter thought and carefully planned. Mary and her family were hidden under Fidelius Charm with James as the Secret Keeper. James wasn't going to offer that information to _anyone_, even under torture. He _might_ break if Lily and Harry were tortured in front of him, but Peter wasn't willing to risk it.

Instead, Peter used his animagus form as Wormtail to smuggle himself a long for a few visits. He hid amongst Harry's toys, with neither James or Lily any wiser. It took a few visits, but Peter discovered several things. The Smith were hiding outside a small muggle and magical village in a place called _Blacksmith Haven_.

Peter eagerly shared every piece of information with the Dark Lord. With that information, the Dark Lord discovered they were hiding in Helga's Den, a small village. It was original a magical settlement, but muggles started moving there in the late 1800s.

On Halloween, the Dark Lord arranged several high profile raids for his followers. It was draw the attention of Magical Law Enforcement and Dumbledore's Pet Vigilante Group. With everyone distracted, he would be free to visit the Smiths and kill the boy.

His visit to the Smiths didn't go as planned. Eldad Smith stood in his way, telling his wife and his granddaughter to run as he tried to fight off the Dark Lord. It was pitiful. Voldemort easily killed the old man before moving on. Meissa put up more of a fight that her husband, but she easily distracted and devastated by the news of his death.

Voldemort had Mary and her son cornered in small room on the second floor. Mary placed herself between her son and the Dark Lord, begging him to spare her son and take her instead. Uninterested in her blubbering, he killed the girl before turning his wand her son. He was shocked when his Killing Curse backfired and he was forced to leave his body.

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**.**

Lily Potter grew more worried by the minute as she waited for Mary. The pair had plans to meet up at a small restaurant for lunch. They were supposed to meet at noon, and it was approaching one with no sign of Mary or her grandmother. If something had happened to Mary, Meissa would have been sent to inform Lily.

With a large sense of unease, Lily tossed a few bills on the table as she stood. It wasn't a long walk to Blacksmith's Haven form the little restaurant. Lily made the walk with her wand in hand and a hex on the tip of her tongue.

From the outside, everything looked normal at Blacksmith's Haven. It was two-story cottage built with gray stones, and there was a small chimney at the back of the cottage. As she stood in front of the open wrought iron gate, that sense of unease built.

Taking a deep breath, Lily moved forwarded until she was standing at the front door. She knocked with her left hand, trying to wait patiently for someone to answer. A moment passed, and no one came. She frowned, knocking again, harder and longer.

Another moment passed.

"Mary, it's Lily!" she called, rapping on the door.

There was still no response.

Casting a glance at the rode behind her, Lily casted a wordless Unlocking Charm. When the door, dread filled Lily. That _shouldn't_ have worked.

Something was wrong.

Something was _really, really_ wrong.

The grip on her wand tightened as Lily entered the cottage. A few steps into the living room, Lily found Eldad's dead body. She choked back a sod at the sight, forcing herself to move on. She found Meissa in the kitchen, guarding the stairs.

Dread built as Lily walked up to the second floor. She checked each room until she came to the small office at the end of the hallway. Peering through the door, she spotted two bodies. One was Mary's.

Lily opened the door all the way and she forced herself to enter the room, looking for Zacharias. Where was her godson?

As she stepped over the Dark Lord's body, Lily heard the familiar babbles coming from behind Mary, making her spring into action. Behind Mary, in a small bassinet was Zacharias.

He squealed at the sight of Lily and he clapped before holding his arms out. Lily quickly scooped the infant up, tucking his head into her chest. She didn't want him to see _anything_ inside the house.

With Zacharias in hand, Lily fled the cottage with tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to Mary behind with _him_, but she _had_ to protect Zacharias. It was _her duty_ – she _promised_ Mary. Mary would want it this way, knowing her son was protected and cared for.

Once she was outside, Lily tightened her hold on Zacharias before apparating home. She arrived in the living room. James and Harry were playing on the floor. Her husband was laughing, but it died when he spotted Lily's tears.

He stood up, ushering his wife onto the couch as he tried to coax information out of her. Lily started to shake, clutching Zacharias tighter to her chest as tried to tell her husband what she found.

"Is Mary alright?" James asked, concerned.

Lily broke down in sobs, shaking her head. Turning, she showed James the infant in her arms.

The sight of Zacharias with Lily made James speechless. "Lils, what's going on?" he asked, his tone soft.

"They're gone," she choked out between sobs before she pulled Zacharias close in her right arm. Her left was open.

James stood up, placing their son in her open arm. He could only watch as Lily pulled both boys close.

An hour later found James flooing to the Ministry of Magic to report the deaths – murders – of the Smith family. From there, he alerted Dumbledore. He kept the details surrounding their deaths vague to most of his co-workers, only telling Amelia Bones and Barty Crouch the truth. The Dark Lord murdered Eldad, Meissa, and Mary Smith before he was killed and Zacharias Smith was somehow still alive.

The Fidelius Charm was broken with the death of Eldad. While Dumbledore had cast it, it was a secret between Eldad and James. It was Eldad's secret at he entrusted to James. Within minutes of reporting the crime scene, Blacksmith's Haven was filled with Amelia Bones and a few of her trusted Aurors with Crouch following behind. Dumbledore arrived minutes later.

After seeing the body and checking the wand, they knew the Dark Lord cast _four_ Killing Curses. The wand taken to Ollivander for confirmation. They wanted to be thorough in their investigation. The questions about _the boy_ started. James seethed as they called his wife's godson _the boy_, not Zacharias or Zach. There was clear excitement on the face of Crouch. While Amelia was visibly excited, she was trying to contain herself and she was asking if the boy was alright. Dumbledore remained silent, watching everything.

"Perhaps we should have young Zacharias see a healer?" Dumbledore suggested. "I would like to make sure he's alright."

Amelia and Crouch agreed.

James apparated home to take Lily and their boys to St. Mungo's where they met with Amelia, Crouch, Dumbledore, and Healer Olivia Sawley. Healer Sawley was sworn to secret before James and Lily entered the room with Harry and Zacharias.

Lily refused to part with the infant for more than a few minutes. While it was irritating and made the examination harder, Lily was allowed to keep ahold of her godson. In her arms, he was happy and babbling baby. Outside, he would scream and cry, reaching towards Lily.

Once the examination was done, Healer Sawley gave Zacharias a clean build a health, though she did note high levels of Dark Magic on him and he had an odd lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead that was _soaked_ with Dark Magic. She wanted to arrange future appointments to monitor the levels of Dark Magic. If the levels remained the same or increased, there would be cause for concern. The healer expected those levels to disappear over the following days, a week at most. The scar should heal up just fine. Given Zacharias' young age, he couldn't be treated with potions or magical balms. It had to heal natural.

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It wasn't until the fifth that the news was leaked to _The Daily Prophet_. The headlines screamed "Zacharias Smith is the Boy-Who-Lived! He Survived the Killing Curse at the Hands of You-Know-Who!" and "You-Know-Who Defeated by The Boy-Who-Lived!"

Amelia and Crouch raged. They wanted to finish their investigation before alerting the press. They had Minister Bagnold in the loop, and she agreed with their plans. They wanted to tell the public the good news, but they wanted to collect information and check their facts before making an announcement.

Within an hour of Zacharias Smith being named the Boy-Who-Lived and the defeater of the Dark Lord, there were various requests for custody. It seemed that _everyone_ wanted the boy, including his Smith relatives.

Lily and James refused to part with the boy, claiming their rights to him through Lily's placement at his godmother. They pointed out that the Smiths had _no grounds_ to claim him since Eldad was disowned.

The matter was taken to court. Lily and James were surprised to find Lord Arcturus Black supported their claim. Apparently, Zacharias was his great-grandson through his illegitimate daughter, Meissa. He wanted Zacharias to grow up happy and healthy in a loving family, which he knew the Potters could provide. In exchange for his help, Arcturus convinced Sirius to return to the Black family as his heir. By the end of 1981, Sirius was engaged to Athena Carrow.

Due to the help and support of Arcturus, James and Lily won their case. They were awarded full and complete custody of Zacharias Eldad Smith. The identity of his father was unknown, and each man that claimed the role was tested, the results proving there wasn't a match.

With custody of Zacharias came his family's possessions. The Smiths stilled owned the storefront of The Watering Can, though the store was gone, and they owned several dozen greenhouses across United Kingdom. After some debating, James and Lily leased the store space and they made arrangements for other stores to sell the various plants, which were looked after by Madam Pomona Sprout.

James and Lily didn't know much about business and they knew even less about Herbology and plants. They wanted to ensure Eldad, Meissa and Mary's legacies were in place for Zacharias when he was old enough.

While the Potters were busy fighting for custody, Amelia and Crouch continued their investigation. Through a tip from Barty Crouch Junior, they caught several high profile Death Eaters, including Peter Pettigrew and Bellatrix Lestrange. Under Veritaserum, Peter confessed his role in murders of Eldad, Meissa, and Mary Smith. In fact, Peter planned to finish _the boy_ off when Lily and James left Harry and Zacharias in his care.

Following his confession, Peter was sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss.

Bellatrix's capture and interrogation were kept quiet. During her questioning, she revealed that the Dark Lord had entrusted the Cup of Hufflepuff to her. It was locked away in her Gringotts vault, and the Dark Lord ordered her to guard it with her life. That caught Amelia's interest. Before leaving Azkaban, she sent a request to examine the contains of Bellatrix Lestrange's Gringotts vault off to the goblin nation and Lord Arcturus Black.

Arcturus had quickly agreed to the request. With his permission, the goblins agreed as long as their representatives were present. The Cup of Hufflepuff was requested and it tested high – off the charts, according to Mad-Eye Moody – for Dark Magic. Since it was considered a danger item, the goblins allowed Amelia to remove it from the bank.

With the Cup in hand, Bellatrix met the same fate as Pettigrew. She laughed, vowing vengeance as she was Kissed.

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Zacharias settled into his new family rather well. There were several difficulties. He would cry, searching for his mum and his great-grandparents. There were night when he woke James and Lily up with his screams that would have them charging into the nursery. When they entered, Harry would be by Zacharias' side offering the young boy a toy.

For all the difficulties, James and Lily were thrilled to have Zacharias in their lives. Lily continued to mourn Mary, but she saw glimpse of her friend whenever Zacharias laughed. His brown eyes sparkled the same way Mary's did when she felt care free and whimsical.

In the summer of 1985, Harry turned five when his parents announced he _and_ Zach were going to be big brothers in a few months.

"What do you want: a little brother or a little sister?" James asked with a wide smile.

Harry thought for a moment, looking over at his little brother. That was a silly question. "A little sister," he answered with a slight lisped. "I 'ave a little brother. I need a sister."

His answer made the adults laugh.

"How do you feel about a god-brother or a god-sister?" asked Athena Black with a smile.

Harry ran off to play with his friends, thinking grown ups were crazy. He _just_ wanted a little sister because then he would have _both_ a brother and a sister.

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Count: ~3,600

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**This was written for**

Alphabet Challenge  
G: Goblin

Alternate Universe Challenge  
105\. Zacharias BWL AU: In which Zacharias Smith was the Boy-Who-Lived, and his parents were killed.

Are You Crazy Enough to Do It Challenge  
Prompt: 690. (Object) Wand

Build a Zoo Challenge  
(Mummy) Tiger: (Character) Lily Evans

Character Boot Camp: Character Diversity  
05\. Whimsical

Disney Character Challenge  
Daisy Duck: Write about a Hufflepuff.

If You Dare Challenge  
Prompt: 2. Vague Misery


	3. Family Sticks Together

**Fandom**: Harry Potter  
**Relationship**: Brothers – Justin Finch-Fletchly and Harry Potter  
**Warnings**: alternate universe; het; original characters; mentions of torture, murder, and death; and morally gray Finch-Fletchley family  
**Prompts**: (Character) Justin Finch-Fletchley; (Object) Desk; (Word) Future; and (Word) Soft

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**Acts of Kindness  
**_002\. Family Sticks Together_

From a young age, Justin Finch-Fletchley had his future planned out ahead of him. Truth be told, his future was planned before his birth even. It was the planned the moment his parents were engaged. He represented the bright future of both families.

The Fletchley family was once proud and rich before loosing their money in bad investments and outright theft from one of their own. The loss of money and a scandalous divorce and affair led to the family losing _everything_ that mattered. In the end, Isabelle lived as did her parents, but they were forced to hide out of shame and embarrassment. Her uncle left his high society wife for his personal assistant – his _male_ PA – while Isabelle's grandfather robbed his own diamond store to cover his gambling debts.

With the family's decline, Isabelle was afforded freedoms she wasn't before. Her parents were too busy worrying about their image and the financial matters, allowing her to date anyone. Isabelle found herself interested in a local bad boy, Richard Finch.

Richard Finch was the son of immigrates. It was rumored the Finchs were criminals, but no one could prove anything. All anyone _really _knew was they had money – a lot of it – and some rough looking security. According to one local boy, he saw a security guard take a baseball bat to a man's knees.

By the time Isabelle's parents discovered her boyfriend, it was too late. She knew the family secret, even going as far as to _make her bones _and prove she was worthy of Richard. Richard's parents welcomed her with open arms. Isabelle's had a choice: accept their daughter and her new fiance or lose out. In the end, Isabelle's parents accepted Richard and his family.

Their wedding was a grand affair. The ceremony held on the grounds of the Palm Parterre at the Kew Gardens in London. It was a large affair with over 500 guests. The reception was held at one of the ballroom at The Dorchester on Park Lane. The Finchs made sure no expense was spared while letting the Fletchleys arrange the finer details, wanting to impress their high society friends.

Justin was destined to be the prefect son and heir. He was raised like an aristocrat through his mother's connections while being groomed to take over the Finch family's import business and related affair. The Finch family were in several businesses, such as loaning money, gambling, constructions, and alcohol.

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Justin was only seven when he got a new brother, one close to his own age. A man – Dursley, according to Marko and Louis – was behind on his payments. When they went to collect, the man offered them his nephew, a small and scrawny boy named Harry Potter. While Marko wanted to pass on the offer, Louis was quick to accept.

When they returned to the office, Justin was with his father.

"You know we don't accept _people_," Richard Finch snapped. "I'm not in a _people_ business." That much was true. The Finch family didn't touch anything related to human trafficking and prostitution. They had _some_ morals – as few as they were.

"I'll cover Dursley's debt," Louis explained. "He was _mistreating_ Harry. I did what I did to save Harry."

Richard looked long and hard at Louis before turning his attention to the boy. He was small, probably five years old, with pale skin, messy dark hair, and green eyes. He was squinting, and he wore large and dirty clothes. "How old are you?" he asked, making his tone a little more friendly.

Harry shifted from foot to foot, glancing over at Louis.

Louis smiled encouragingly. "Go on," he urged. "Richard wants to hear it from you, not me."

"Seven," Harry replied, his voice soft. He sounded scared.

Justin's eyes narrowed. Why was Harry scared? His father was intimidating, but he was rather kind, unless someone interfered with his business.

An unpleasant expression settled on his father's face. "Harry, do you know what happened to your parents?" he asked.

Harry nodded, looking sad. "They're dead 'cause they were useless dranks that got into a car crash," he whispered. "They killed the other family."

Justin frowned, feeling a little annoyed at Harry's terrible grammar and speech. It was a sad story, but he couldn't ignore the improper use of words.

Richard held up a hand, as if signaling for for something. He looked over at Justin with a raised eyebrow. "Harry, do you know your parents' names?" he asked, keeping his voice friendly.

The boy shook his head, looking a little head. "Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia don't speak of them," he whispered.

Justin's father frowned, rubbing his chin. "I'll see what I can find," he promised. "Do you know which of your parents were related to Petunia?" Since he did business with Vernon Dursley, Richard knew the man had a sister named Marge. He didn't know anything about Petunia's family because he never had a reason to look or be interested. Now, he did.

"My mum," Harry answered, brightly. He looked happy to know that much.

Richard nodded, writing himself a note. _Look into Petunia Dursley. Harry's mother was her sister._ "Do you know anything else about your mother?"

"She was useless and lazy," Harry replied, dutifully repeating his relatives' toxic words, "and Aunt Marge says she was an ungrateful bitch, and Aunt Petunia blames her for the death of grammy and grandpy."

Justin's eyes widened at Harry's casually use of 'bitch.' If he _dared_ to say such a word, his mother would wash his mouth out with soap.

"Harry, I want you to go with Justin and Miss June," Richard instructed, opening one of his desk drawers.

Marko quickly left, stepping out of the office to retrieve Justin's nanny. She would spend time with him outside of school when his parents were unavailable.

Miss June entered a moment later, offering Harry one of her pretty smiles.

Timidly, Harry smiled back.

"Miss June," Richard said, placing a few bundles of money on his desk, "I need you and Justin to spend the afternoon with Harry while I _tend to some affairs_. Please, make sure he is presentable for dinner tonight."

Miss June nodded, picking up the money and sliding it into her large handbag. She eyed Harry. "I'm thinking hair and clothes," she stated. "Anything else?"

"Use your best judgment," Richard said, dismissing her.

Miss June walked over to Harry, offering him a hand as she held the other one out to Justin. Both boys took her hands before they departed the office.

Justin didn't know what happened after that in his father's office.

Harry stayed with them a few days before his father announced that Harry was joining their family and Louis would be his godfather. Justin remembered hearing his grandparents – Grandfather Fletchly and Grandmother Fletchley – being excited, talking about titles and connections.

Honestly, Justin didn't think too much of it. Having a new brother didn't change too much in his life. He got a best friend, and father taught Harry as much about the family as he did Justin.

"You're brothers, remember that," he would tell them, "and family must stick together."

Harry would nod while Justin found the lectures boring. He heard this same one a few times before with Gabriella before both Joshua and Penelope were born.

The plans for Justin remained the same. He was still his father's heir, but Harry would be his closest and strongest ally. According to father, Harry's biological parents were wealthy and his father was from a powerful family with a Dukish and a large manor.

**.**

**.**

**.**

When Justin turned eleven on the thirteenth of November, those plans changed. A woman in a green dress with her hair pulled back in a bun knocked on the door. The butler invited her inside before informing the family of her arrival.

"How can we help you, Miss McGonagall?" Richard asked as the family joined her the parlor.

Everyone quickly took a seat. Richard and Isabelle sat in the matching armchair across the coffee table from Miss McGonagall with Justin and Harry taking the couch.

Her eyes looked over all of them before stopping on Justin. "I'm here to offer Justin a place at Hogwarts next September," she stated. She offered him a sealed envelope.

Justin eagerly opened it with Harry looking over his shoulder.

"Justin and Harry will be attending Eton next year," Isabelle explained, pride in her voice, as she looked down at two of her sons.

"I've never heard of this Hogwarts," Richard said. He had researched boarding school _extensively_ a few years ago before Gabriella was old enough to attend. Currently, she attended Roedean Independent School.

"Is this real?" Justin demanded, waving the letter.

Frowning at her son's actions, Isabelle took the letter. Her hazel eyes widened as she read _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_. "Richard?" she said, her tone pleading, as she handed the letter over to her husband.

There was only a small widening of Richard's eyes when he read the letter. "Miss McGonagall, please explain," he requested.

"Your son Justin is a wizard," she stated. "In children, magic presence itself in unusual ways, like turning someone's hair a different color or replacing one object with another."

"What about disappearing from one spot and reappearing in another?" Justin eagerly asked. He exchanged a glance with Harry.

That caught the interest of their parents.

"That is incredibly rare," Miss McGonagall stated, looking at Justin with interest.

"See, _we told you_!" Justin exclaimed, gesturing towards their parents. "We were running from William and Andrew one moment and the next we were on the roof. We didn't climb up there or anything."

"So it would seem," Richard confirmed, frowning. Magic explained a few things – and incidents – about his sons. "Harry would be accept, as well, correct?" he asked, turning to the woman. She had mentioned Justin, but she hadn't said anything about Harry.

Justin's eyes widened. "I'm not going without my brother," he stated.

"Magic is unpredictable," Miss McGonagall explained, "especially in non-magical families, such as yourselves. There are times when only one child is magic and there are some when multiple children are. I'm afraid your twin isn't magical."

"Harry isn't my twin!" Justin said. "He's my younger brother."

"When is your birthday?" Miss McGonagall asked, taking the time to look at Harry. As her eyes trailed over him, she frowned. When her eyes landed on the lightening-bolt shaped scar on his forehead, she gasped. "Harry Potter!"

Harry's green eyes widened while Richard's blue narrowed.

"How do you know _my son_?" Richard asked, possessiveness in his tone.

With wide eyes, she looked at him. "What did those _terrible_ muggles do?" she asked.

"Muggles?" asked Justin.

"Do you know the Dursleys?" Isabelle asked, placing a hand on her eldest son's shoulder. She knew _all about_ the Dursleys and the circumstances surrounding Harry's adoption – the Dursleys were more than willing to sign the paperwork and move out of the United Kingdoms.

"A muggle is a non-magical person, such as your parents," McGonagall explained, nodding towards Justin. "You are a muggle-born, a magical child born to non-magical parents."

"What about Harry?" he quick to asked.

"Harry," began the woman, looking at the ten year old in question. She was starting to look overwhelmed. "There is a lot I should explain about Harry," she admitted, "but first I would like to know how he joined your family."

Isabelle and Richard shared a look.

"I did business with Mr. Dursley," Richard began, "a few years back. He ran into some _financial troubles_, and I offered to take Harry in since he was close with my son." He shifted, taking his wife's hand. "When his _financial troubles_ turned out to be permanent, we decided to make Harry part of our family."

Miss McGonagall stared at them, her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Mr. Finch, I know there is more to that story," she stated. Holding up a hand, she added, "I don't need to know the rest. I am merely relieve to know Harry is happy and he has a good family."

She sighed, looking over at Harry. "Harry, you'll find is famous in the Wizarding World," she began, "for defeating the Dark Lord. You received _that scar_ the night your parents were murdered."

Harry nodded. He knew part of the story about his biological parents. Richard found some, from his sources and from the Dursleys.

"The Dark Lord," she shook her head, "he was so terrible that people do not speak his name out of fear and a taboo. He was known as Lord Voldemort. He and his followers tortured and murdered countless people – muggles, muggle-borns, half-bloods, and even pure-bloods that opposed him. He seemed to be unbeatable."

She paused for a moment, her eyes looking heavy as she stared at Harry. "You defeated," she continued. "He murdered your parents. When he tried to kill you, the Killing Curse rebound and hit him instead."

Silence filled the room. That was darker and heavier than the version they previously knew. They knew Harry's parents were murdered, and he was the only survivor of the night. There was no mention on the murderer of Harry's parents. Richard had people _looking into it_. While they had answers, he would continue to have his people dig. They needed answers. There were holes in Miss McGonagall's story, and he wanted those holes filled.

"How was Harry able to defeat him when no one else could?" Justin demanded, immediately seeing flaws in the story.

"No one really knows," she replied, "but there are several theories. Albus' – Headmaster Dumbledore's – theory is Lily performed some kind of magical ritual."

"But you don't believe that," Isabelle stated. She had a good read on Miss McGonagall.

The woman sighed, shaking her head. "I believe it was either James or your godfather," she explained. "Both James and Sirius were from old and powerful families. I believe one of them had a method to protect the heir – you."

"Who is this Sirius?" Richard asked, a little irritated. _This_ was new information, and it irritated him that he was _just now_ learning it. He didn't like being surprised.

"Sirius Black," McGonagall said, a note of distaste in her tone. "He was best mates with James when they attended Hogwarts." She shook her head. "Sirius betrayed James to the Dark Lord, selling out the location of you and your family."

Richard _really_ needed to find informants in the Wizarding World. There was a lot to know concerning his middle son.

Another silence fell over the room. This one was filled with discomfort and tension.

"So, Harry is accept as well?" Isabelle asked, breaking the atmosphere.

"Yes, he is," McGonagall confirmed. "Harry's been registered since his first birthday."

"Why my first birthday?" Harry asked, a little confused.

McGonagall smiled, a little bittersweetly. "You made your cake levitate," she fondly recalled, "and sent it flying into Remus. James was proud and Lily was horrified."

The visit with Miss McGonagall lasted another thirty minutes or so with Richard and Isabelle asking questions about the curriculum and the subjects. They were disappointed to learn the core subjects weren't taught. They would be sending their sons with several dozen workbooks to keep up their muggle education.

"Just because you're going to magic school isn't an excuse to slack on your studies," Isabelle lectured. "You're both still expended to attend university and receive degrees."

Miss McGonagall left after a few displays of magic. With pride, she showed off her abilities in Transfigurations.

"James was talented in Transfigurations," she fondly told Harry and his family. "Lily was skilled in Charms and Potions."

**.**

**.**

**.**

Following Miss McGonagall's visit, Richard sat to work on finding new informants. He needed to know about the Wizarding World, and he needed to take measures to protect his family.

* * *

Count: ~2,700

* * *

**This was written for**

Are You Crazy Enough to Do It Challenge  
Prompt: 677. (Object) Desk

Build a Zoo Challenge  
Penguin (Pond): (Word) Future

Character Boot Camp: Favorite Character  
Prompt: 45. Soft

Disney Character Challenge/Competition  
Piglet: Write about Justin Finch-Fletchley.


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